Sources said around 20 percent of district council seats will remain directly elected in the upcoming polls, with the rest to be appointed and returned by indirect elections.

Chief Executive John Lee said last week that the government was about to complete its review on district administration, and RTHK understands that the issue will be discussed at the Executive Council on Tuesday.

If the reform is approved, appointed seats will make a comeback since they were abolished in 2012, and it would be the first time since the councils were introduced in 1982 that indirect polls are involved.

At the last election in 2019, all but 27 of the 479 district council seats were directly elected, with the other ex-officio members returned via chairmanship of rural committees. Some 300 seats are currently vacant due to resignations and disqualifications.

The president of the Federation of Trade Unions, Stanley Ng, said on Monday he's not aware of details of the plans, but he said councils should serve as consultative bodies at the district level, not organs of political power.

"The seats can be returned in different ways. We've also heard that they can be elected, indirectly elected through area committee members and also appointed. All these require different forms of public participation," he told reporters.

"No one says that every seat has to be directly elected for it to involve public opinion. So we're happy to see the upcoming reforms can better serve the public."

Sources also said election hopefuls will be screened to ensure that only patriots can administer Hong Kong.